Sweet Generousity
by Seiferdragon
Summary: Greedward, because there simply aren't enough of them out there. As Greed and Edward are engaged in their final battle, Greed can't help but feel something for the poor kid. As Edward suffers with the idea of killing someone, fate placed in the alchemist's hands lead to a different, but better, path.


Title: Sweet Charity  
Pairing: Greed X Edward  
Summary: Based off 2003 anime. As Greed and Edward have their final battle, something between them changes. Whether it's the way he looks at him or otherwise, Edward decides to spare the Homunculus' life.

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He had to admit he was beautiful. Even on the first glance he was stricken by the combination of luscious blonde hair and glistening amber irises. Of course, it confused him. Hell, he hadn't been this attracted to anyone since… Well, enough about that.

Still, as stricken as he was, he had to know better. With a heavy sigh, he realized he _did_ know better, but regrettably he had already thought it. It was too late now. Well, not if he could get out of here. If he could leave and never see him again he'd be much better off.

Then again, maybe not. After all, even now in his un-human form he never forgot… No. Let's not talk about that.

He knew he was digging his own grave. He would be stealing that armored suit that the beautiful male over there called his 'little brother'. It was inevitable. He needed to know. He needed to re-affirm that he could have what he always wanted.

After being sealed away for almost a century and a half, he was desperate to find a way to avoid that from ever happening again. He just wanted to find a way to get away from them.

This empty armor, which contained a blood seal at the neck, was beginning to look like a good alternative to his own, meager, yet formidable body.

He knew it was obvious that the older brother would try, and most definitely succeed to find his younger brother. He would see him again, but what then?

His plan to capture Alphonse Elric was perfect. All had gone smoothly. The boys were separated, and Greed had him all to himself. No, he shouldn't say that. He simply wanted- Well, he wanted a lot of things.

He just… didn't want it to end like this.

He heard his footsteps as he entered the room. Of course he did. The clank of steel, even cushioned by his boots was unmistakable. He rose to his feet, still clenching his chest, as the counterfeit Philosophers' stone had already been thrown up.

"I've found you, Greed!" He shouted as he entered.

As he turned to face him, he couldn't help but wear his usual grin. Even with the life drained out of his human, yet none human body, he couldn't deny he was glad to see him.

As Edward noticed the corpse split in two halves on the floor, he couldn't help but looked shocked and in awe. "Dante-san?! Greed… What did you do?"

Unable to hide his eyes, which writhed with an incomprehensible despair, Greed lifted his sunglasses out of his pocket and slid them on his face. He always had trouble lying. To this kid, well, that was just out of the question.

Well, if you're going to be ambiguous, you might as well do it right… right?

He threw his arms up in a large shrug. "Who knows? That's what I want to ask." - There was no way this kid could know. Now there was no way this kid could understand. Of course he would be the suspected culprit. Who else was here?

But maybe…Just maybe, he'd believe him. As he closed his eyes for a moment, Greed honestly hoped that Edward would.

"Did you do this?" He scowled.

Greed frowned. Yeah, overall it was just impossible to believe him. After all… he was… or rather, he wasn't…

"Answer me!" Edward demanded.

But that was a command Greed just couldn't answer. He was never good at being controlled. Everyone knew that. He wasn't sealed away for 140 years for no good reason.

"Well, whether you blame me or not, it doesn't really bother me." But it did. The fact that the blonde was glaring at him with such an intensity made his… well, did he even have a heart? Either way, his chest was still throbbing. He had to remind himself again that this kid wouldn't be able to understand. That was 140 years ago. This kid wasn't even… never mind.

"How could you?" Edward grunted. Everlasting anger.

Greed could only smile, his canine filled jaw clenching together. He couldn't talk about this. He… didn't have much time left. "Why do you go so far to protect your little brother?"

A meaningless question, but anger at this stage could only be transmuted into greater anger. He was an alchemist, right? Then transmuting anything would be easy.

"Al is MY little brother!" Edward explained, stepping forward, ever so slightly. He was trying to be intimidating. It was… precious.

Greed grinned. His pointed teeth aligning in grand form. "So you're ready, then?" - Either way, his plan had worked. He could focus on what was to come. What a better ending then to "die" by the hands of someone you were… willing to die for. The thought made him frown.

"Where's Al? Give him back!" Edward shouted, clenching his fists at his sides.

"If you want him back, you know what you have to do. Right?" A taunt. A provocative comment to make this happen.

Edward only glowered at him a moment. Then he had gotten into the same fighting stance he had gotten into so many times before. It was familiar. Heartwarming. Edward hadn't changed. Hopefully, he would always be this way.

Greed slipped his gilet off his shoulders. He was already wounded; already at a disadvantage. He would have to be serious. Well, faking a kid out… couldn't be too hard.

As he swung numerous punches, feeling the cold metal arm clang against his hardened body, he realized, as he desired most definitely, that the kid had improved. Still, it wasn't enough. That metal arm, at least a part of it, had been knocked off. That was okay. Regrettably, he ended up punching that poor kid in the face again.

Well, it's not like that punch wasn't returned. Unfortunately for the handsome blonde, it was at the cost of his metal thumb. What had the teenager expected? Greed gave him plenty of fair warnings, after all.

"What's wrong?" Greed mocked, staring down at him. "Is that all you've got?"

A minor punch to the torso, just enough to send him into the nearby table. The wood didn't even dent. That should have been a sign. That should have told that blonde that… No. No, he had to be serious.

"Didn't I say that I was a mistake and you were going to correct it?" He mocked again. He would never want to face the harsh reality of those words again. Because as harsh as they were, they had to be…true.

Edward knelt on the floor a moment, if just to catch his breath. Suddenly, it dawned on him.

"I said it before, didn't I?" Greed reinforced, calm as ever, "If you want to defeat me…"

"'You better come at me ready to kill.' - Right?" The alchemist finished, glowering over his shoulder.

Attaboy. Greed would smile, if he could in this form. Luckily for him, that was impossible. "There you go."

Ed flexed his metal arm, giving it a once over. Still moving. Not yet broken. "Not a surprise, considering my mechanic." He stated. "It still moves, even when it's like this." He wiggled his mechanical fingers.

If that boy only knew that if the situation was different, _drastically_ different, he wouldn't be so much as alive much less with full motion of his artificial limb.

"Here I go!" He shouted, getting a running start.

He swung at him, a few times, and grabbed him by the throat. He wasn't expecting- Pain? Was it pain? Could he even feel something like…

Greed looked at his "wound". No. It was far too superficial. That kid would have to do better.

…He just wanted it to…hurt.

"It doesn't even hurt, kid!" He shouted, staggering a bit to exude life. …Please…

Edward only stared at him from his face down crawl. This kid…probably never injured anyone before. In that case…he would have to make it easier. He would have to… dilute it.

"Now it's my turn!" He threatened as he stepped closer. As he swung in for a punch, the alchemist's "flight or fight" response must have kicked in.

Greed watched as spikes were transmuted into his metal attachment.

As their fists collided, he felt it again. Yes, this was pain. This was pure agony. There was shock, too, and that didn't ease it. How did he know pain? How is it that he could feel it?

As he stared at his muscles, he could only gasp at the sight. His bones, though… they weren't… the same.

He clenched his mangled arm and stared at Edward. As he stood, that determination burned in his eyes. It was at this point he truly realized what he had seen in Edward Elric. No. He couldn't face that. Not until his dying breath.

"W-what have you done to my shield?"

"It's easy when you think about it. You cannot make something out of nothing. Which means your 'shield' is coming from somewhere."

Greed felt a strange sense of unease. This is what he had wanted, sure, but…

"Don't they even say," Edward continued, "that Homunculi have the same body structure as humans?"

Greed didn't know who 'they' were, but sure. He had the same body. Unfortunately.

"There is a substance that composes the human body, and its effects potentially increase the body's hardness and resistance to abrasion. That is carbon, which accounts for one-third of the human body."

The kid was… well learned. But what did Greed really expect. There was a reason he was greedy, and that greediness had composed him to want. Unfortunate, really.

No.. not yet. Greed dropped his hand and only stared at the elder Elric brother.

"The carbon atom changes its degree of hardness depending on the degree of its bond. That degree can make the difference between pencil lead and a diamond. Once you figure out how it works, then it's easy for me!"

Greed's arm, as against his will as it was, regenerated. It was okay. The spark in the alchemist's eyes radiated. It was only a matter of time, then.

Edward swung at him again, and try as he might to dodge, the blonde simply transmuted the side of his torso and gave him a swift punch. Greed stumbled backward before falling to the floor.

This…"pain" again… but it was nothing compared to-

"Where's Al?" Edward demanded yet again.

That poor kid didn't understand. This wasn't over yet. He had to finish the job. He had to…

"This doesn't mean I've lost!" Greed secretly encouraged.

"It's as good as over already." Edward insisted.

Poor child. Hadn't he ever- no. No, of course he hadn't.

"Your little brother must have told you already: I don't die very easily."

"Then I'll just have to beat you down until you want to talk."

That was it then. Edward was now resolute.

Yet again, Greed would have smiled if his shielded form allowed it. Instead a dark chuckle escaped him before he could move to prevent it. "That's good; it's no fun any other way."

He crouched down, and stated the most honest thing he'd said all day.

"I'm glad I had faith in you."

They stared at one another for a long moment, and finally, Edward transmuted his metal limb into his sword.

"Come on!" Greed urged.

"Get ready!" Ed shouted before taking yet another running start.

If only this kid knew just how ready he was.

But of course, making it easy would only break that child's spirit. He couldn't have that. Instead, he leaped out of the way, and came back at him with a few mistimed punches and kicks. Edward was better at dodging now. That combined with a kick to the side of the face was enough distraction to allow the alchemist's hands to touch his torso. Once he felt the transmutation of his carbon was sufficient, he paused for a split second and felt his body be penetrated by the sharp metal.

He froze, taking it in. The pain was there but… it wasn't long now. That was the deathblow.

…Finally…

He felt his body strip away the shield. His humanoid form had returned. He wanted to smile at Edward, but he wasn't sure his body was capable. "Nice…shot…" He praised, before feeling the gravity of his situation and falling to his knees.

The poor teenager's eyes had changed. Greed didn't want this. He didn't want this kid to feel… what was it that humans left in these kinds of situations? He didn't know. At least, he didn't think he did.

"What about Al? Where is he?" Edward came closer, dropping to his knees to look at Greed's sallow face.

"I let him go a while ago." Greed grinned. He stared at the floor. There was so much he wanted to say…so many words, but none of them… seemed good enough.

Then suddenly, blood erupted from his mouth, and splattered onto the floor.

The poor kid was startled, and jumped backward in shock.

He looked…so sorry.

But why? Greed wasn't… he was a… it didn't matter.

"Greed?" Edward asked, unsure.

Greed wanted to… no. He couldn't. It wouldn't be…right.

"We Homunculi are born when you alchemists perform human transmutation." He said instead. Even if he couldn't be loved by this boy, he would be helpful. Surely, that was just as good.

"We are weakened…when we're close to the bones of the person…you tried to resurrect." Of course, it didn't say right saying, "our bodies" or something like that. He had his body. Sort of.

"That's the Homunculi's weak point."

"Why? Why are you telling me this?" Edward asked, stunned, and still… worried? No… It must have been something else.

"You can defeat them…"

Edward gasped.

"I'm tired of being sealed." Greed uttered. He didn't think Edward would realize that meant emotionally, as well as physically.

"Greed, you're…"

What? What was he? It… it didn't matter.

"I'm greedy as hell, so I take care of my own life…" But for Edward… Maybe, just maybe he could-

He threw up again. He flung himself away from the teenager, not wanting his hands anymore tainted.

"Greed!"

Greed lay there on his back. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't keep the smile off his face. This was release. This was the end.

There was so much he wanted to say. 'Do your best and live.' or 'Please be happy', but in the end, all he could say was…

"Defeat them. I'm counting…on you…"

He took one last look at Edward's face. So beautiful. So perfect. So…

Happy. He was happy to die here beside…

His body began to spasm. Darkness took over. It was over.

_I…Loved…You. I'm sorry. I don't know why._

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Well, that's it for that part, ladies and gents. Don't worry. There will be a continuation as soon as I'm inspired to write more. Odds are, soon. Hope you enjoyed. Whether you did or not, feel free to leave me a line or two. =] Much love!


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